


First Love

by teamchasez



Category: Dale Earnhardt Jr - Fandom, NASCAR - Fandom, NASCAR RPF
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-14 02:07:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16030769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teamchasez/pseuds/teamchasez
Summary: You never know no love, like the first love.’ A high school reunion prompts Dale Earnhardt Jr. to remember the one that got away.





	First Love

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea listening to the song, “Turning Home” by David Nail. I love the entire song, but the final verse stood out to me. And it gave me the idea of high school and first love. I hope it turned out okay and it’s not choppy. I had a hard time getting it to flow correctly.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. flipped through the mail that laid on his desk at JR Motorsports. Kelley sat behind her desk clicking away on the keyboard. Mail that came for him at the shop was sorted before it reached his desk. Fan mail was separated and put into a box for him to look through, flyers and junk mail were shredded and recycled; bills went to Kelley to look over before it went to accounting. The rest was placed on his desk; so he knew the mail that made it to his desk was important and required his attention.

He opened envelope after envelope, reading places that wanted his presence. Ones he didn’t want to take he made a pile. There would be an apology request sent out in answer. When he was down to the last one, he looked at the return address seeing the name of his high school: Mooresville High School.

“What’s this?” He wondered aloud and tore open the envelope. He pulled out the card with an embossing of the high school on front. Underneath it held script writing. “You’re cordially invited to”

“What’s what?” Kelley asked, not bothering to look up from the computer. A small smile on her lips knowing what her brother was talking about.

Dale opened the card; a small business card sized paper fell out. He left it on his desk and read the card. The further he got through the writing, the more his lips thinned. When he was finished he looked at the paper that fell out. It was an RSVP. “Don’t think so,” he said and gathered up everything from the envelope and dropped it into his trash can.

“What are you doing?” Kelley stood up. She knelt down and grabbed the card from the trash. “Why are you throwing this away?”

“It’s my high school reunion, I’m not going. Why would I go? You know how I was in school.” Dale told her. He turned the chair and pulled up his mail, seeing the e-mails waiting for him. He hoped his sister would get the hint and drop the subject.

“Dale, it’s your fifteen year reunion.”

Apparently not.

“So. Thanks for pointing out that I’m old.” He opened up an e-mail from a journalist asking him a couple questions. He started answering them, trying to block Kelley out.

“Can it, I’m older than you are. I went to mine. No reason you can go to yours.” She took the invitation back to her desk and pulled up the calendar she kept on her computer of Dale’s schedule. “You don’t even have anything planned. You’re free.”

“And I’d like to keep it that way.” Dale said. “I’m not going Kel, so drop it.”

“Why not? What reason do you have for not going?” Kelley said. “Give me the reason and I’ll drop it.”

“Yeah right, you never drop anything,” Dale muttered, loud enough for her to hear. “You just nag and nag and nag. And annoy the hell out of me.”

“Well then, save me time and just go.”

“No Kelley. It’s my high school reunion. I don’t want to go. End of story.”

Kelley stared at his profile as he continued typing away at his computer. She tapped the corner on the invitation on her desk. She froze, the card hanging in midair, as the reason came to her. “This have anything to do with Shannon?”

Dale’s fingers froze in mid stroke over the keyboard as the name slid from Kelley’s mouth. He stared at the computer screen but he didn’t see it. In front of him instead, was a blonde-haired girl with bright green eyes that could stare deep into his soul. Her head was slightly titled and she smiled at him; the smile reserved for him that she never gave anyone else.

“Dale?” Kelley repeated after the first time failed to receive any action. She watched as her brother seemingly left the room. He might have been sitting in his office chair, but his mind was a million miles away.

Flashback

_Dale walked around the gym floor in and out of his classmates. Saturday night and he was stuck at school at a stupid dance. It was the last place he wanted to be. He didn’t want to be hanging out with his classmates amidst the decorations and horrible music with teachers looking over them. He didn’t care if it was Homecoming or not. He didn’t care if the football team won a big game yesterday. He was not into school dances and he damned his sister for making him come._

_‘You’re almost eighteen, who cares what your sister says,’ his mind told him. ‘Yeah right.’ He laughed at the thought of going against his Kelley._

_He made his way away from the dancers toward the table lined with finger foods and punch. He poured himself a cup, pausing before he drank it. Briefly wondering if it had been spiked before shrugged his shoulders and taking a long gulp. He didn’t care. He wished he wore a watch to see what time it was. He would stay long enough for people to see him here then skip out. He could find something to do to kill the rest of the time before going home._

_“Hi.”_

_Dale looked to his side seeing the blonde standing next to him. She was facing the table, placing a couple of cheese cubes on a small paper plate. When she turned to look at him, his heart faltered at the smile she gave._

_“Hey.” He recognized her as a fellow senior, one that was in his homeroom class even; Shannon Davis. He wondered how he never noticed her beauty before._

_“Don’t want to be here either huh?” She asked as she moved to pour herself a glass of punch. “I didn’t want to come. These are no fun when you come without a date. I came with Kristen after she begged me too, but she hooked up with Bobby so…” she shrugged._

_“Heh,” Dale said as he took a drink to hide the smirk on his lips knowing what Bobby Ash was doing or trying to do. “I’m just killing time before I blow this joint.”_

_“Ah,” Shannon said as she polished off the cheese on her plate and tossed it into the trash. The music turned from fast to a slow number and she watched all the people on the dance floor couple up. She gave a longing sigh and took a drink. Dances definitely stunk when you were by yourself._

_“You want to dance?” Dale heard himself ask. He had no idea where it came from. He didn’t dance, he didn’t want to dance. But when Shannon turned to him with a smile on her face, he felt himself smiling back._

_He took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. He hoped she didn’t feel how sweaty his palm was. His heart was beating rapidly; it was pounding in his ears. He was so sure she could hear it. But when he looked down at her, she just gave him a smile. He turned her to face him, suddenly nervous._

_He placed his hands at her waist as she locked her arms around his neck. He stared down at her, into her green eyes loving how the fact they sparkled when the twinkling lights of the decorations hit them just right._

_The song played on and he moved them slowly in a circle. Classmates fell away around them. His eyes never left hers. He liked how she stared back at him. They were the only two in the room. He didn’t want to let her go when the song ended. Prayers were answered when another slow one came on again._

_The smile she sent him as he continued holding her and swaying to the music, stopped his heart. He was sure of it. He gently moved her closer to him, closing the space they had between them. He held his breath, praying she’d go with the new position. He mentally screamed in his head when she laid her head on his chest, her arms loosening around his neck. One arm rested against his upper back, the other on his bicep._

_He liked the way she felt against him. He liked how he could rest his chin on the top of her head. She was perfect for him. The dance wasn’t looking bad to him anymore._

“Dale?”

Shannon’s face faded away and he shook his head. “What Kelley?” He wiped his face and tried to clear his mind.

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past 10 minutes. Is she the reason you’re not going?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dale closed out the e-mail window, losing the mood to respond to the journalist’s questions.

“Sure you do, Shannon Davis. The girl you spent the rest of your senior year with after the Homecoming dance. The one you stupidly let get away after graduation.”

“I didn’t let anyone ‘get away’,” Dale yelled. “She had her plans after school and I had mine. It was just some stupid high school girlfriend.”

Kelley stayed silent, her eyebrows raised as Dale yelled at her. She didn’t believe anything he was saying. She knew that Shannon was more than just some high school girlfriend. And he knew that too.

“Forget it,” Dale shut off his computer and grabbed his keys. “I’m not going to the reunion you can forget it about. Tear it up and throw it away.”

“Why not Dale? Give me one good reason you’re not going?” Kelley grabbed the invitation and followed him out of the office. “That’s all I’m asking Dale. Give me a reason why you’re not going. Tell me it has nothing to do with Shannon.”

“It has nothing to do with Shannon.” Dale clipped, all but running down the stairs and out the door. The sound of heels alerted him Kelley was still on his tail.

“Tell me something I’ll believe.”

“I don’t care if you believe it or not. I’m not going; I don’t have to. And you can’t make me.”

“How old are you?”

“Old enough to make my own God damned decisions about what I’m doing or not doing with my life and time.” He opened the door to his track and climbed in.

“You’re just too chicken to go because you might run into Shannon. You remember Shannon right? The girl who loved you and knew you inside and out. The one who would have done anything for you without hesitation. The one that you let get away.” Kelley snapped. She shoved the invitation through the open window, watching as it scattered over his lap and at the floor by feet. “And you won’t go because you’re afraid those feelings will arise when you see her and she’ll be unavailable. Grow up Dale.” She turned around and strode away from her brother.

Dale stared after his sister, irate. He wanted to jump from his Silverado and go after her and give her a piece of his mind. But he locked his jaw and shoved the papers off his lap and onto the passenger seat. He jammed his truck into gear and sped from the parking lot.

~***~

The yearbook was flipped opened on the coffee table and Dale stared down at the spread of the Homecoming dance. In the top right corner was a picture of him and Shannon. He flipped through the pages until he found the section dedicated to the seniors. Both their senior pictures were on the same page; hers four portraits before his.

School was never his forte. His fans nowadays wouldn’t have even recognized him from his high school days. Many thought he was popular but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. He wasn’t part of the ‘in’ crowd, but he wasn’t in with the losers and drug users. If there had been a step below the average group, he’d be there.

He went to school because he had to, but wished he didn’t have to. His grades were nowhere near refrigerator door worthy and most times Kelley ended up doing his homework so it would be done. He just didn’t want to be bothered with it. He just marched time until the final school bell rang and he could go and do what he wanted.

Shannon was completely different from him. She paid attention in class. She got straight A’s. She wasn’t part of the popular crowd, but in the average crowd. And everyone liked her; teachers and students. 

For four years, they set next to each other in homeroom class. Every morning for fifteen minutes, long enough to take attendance and pass word about what happened or what was happening. The desks sat three deep in a row on either side of the room, leaving the middle open for the teacher to walk back and forth while teaching. Three other classmates had names between Davis and Earnhardt. The yearbook he had just looked at refreshed his memory of those names otherwise forgotten.

Three and a half of those years, he’d walk into the classroom, sit in his seat and wait for the bell to ring, signaling to move onto first period. He never spoke to her, she never spoke to him. But that changed the night of the homecoming dance. He had held her in his arms, dancing to every slow song that came on. During the fast songs, they sat on the bleachers talking. Blowing the dance never crossed his mind afterward. They had stayed until the final song and the lights came on.

Dale smiled, remembering how he’d driven her home after Kristen left with Bobby. He had kissed girls before but he had never felt so shy when he walked her to her door. He didn’t remember what they talked about, standing beneath the porch light but he could remember tucking a stray curl behind her ear and leaning down and kissing her. The feel of her lips and the taste of the first kiss stuck with him even all these years later.

The Monday morning in homeroom was different than the previous days. He bounced into the room, took his assigned seat and immediately turned to Shannon with a smile on his face. She shot him the same smile she did the night of the dance; his heart turned over and he was never the same again.

It was January, after Christmas break, when their relationship went to the next level. He could look back now and shake his head of the fumbling and stuttering he did. It had been obvious he didn’t have a clue what to do. But even today, that night held a special place in his heart.

Flashback

_‘Are you sure no one is going to come home?’ Shannon whispered as Dale led her up the stairs and into his bedroom. Her hand was held tightly in his and she listened for any sounds of another person or a car coming up the driveway._

_‘Relax,’ Dale whispered, shutting the door to his bedroom. ‘Dad and Teresa are gone. They won’t be back until tomorrow night.’_

_‘What about Kelley?’ Shannon asked as Dale let go of her hand to quickly pick up the clothes lying on the floor. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, seeking comfort to calm her nerves._

_‘She won’t be joining us.’ Dale joked. When he failed to hear Shannon laugh he looked over his shoulder, seeing her standing by his door, looking forlorn. He tossed the clothes he held into a corner and went to his girlfriend. ‘Hey,’ he said softly. ‘Are you okay?’_

_Shannon looked into the blue pools of Dale’s eyes, her stomach flip-flopping. ‘I’m scared.’ She finally admitted._

_‘Me too,’ Dale said honestly. ‘Did you think I wasn’t?’ He asked at the skeptical look on Shannon’s face. ‘I’m nervous as hell. Afraid I’ll do something wrong. Afraid that it won’t be any good. Scared that I’ll hurt you. And definitely afraid that it will be over before it starts.’_

_Shannon giggled at the look of terror the last statement brought Dale. She uncrossed her arms, opening up to allow Dale to hold her._

_‘You don’t know how much pressure there is on a guy. The build up, then it’s over before the horse is even through the gate.’ He smiled at the smile on Shannon’s face, some of his nerves dissipating. Nothing had ever felt as right in his life than this moment. ‘If you want, I can go and get some of Daddy’s beer, get rid of some of the nerves.’_

_Shannon shook her head. ‘I want to remember this.’_

_‘You might not think that afterward,’ Dale maneuvered them toward his bed._

_‘Never,’ Shannon shook her head. Her hands moved up his stomach, over his chest to cup his cheeks. ‘I don’t want to forget this. I don’t want to forget this night.’ She kissed him slowly, softly._

_‘Are you sure you don’t want to wait?’_

_‘Wait? For what?’ Shannon moved to sit up, pushing Dale back. ‘Why? Do you want to wait? You don’t want to do this?’_

_‘Of course I want to do this. I’ve wanted to do this since the Homecoming Dance. It’s just… you haven’t… I don’t…’_

_Shannon put a finger over his lips to stop his talking. ‘I know I haven’t done this before. But I want to do this. With you. I want you to be the first, no one else. I love you Dale.’_

_The words caused Dale’s heart to roll over and thump wildly in his chest. ‘And I love you, Shannon.’ And he did; as much as a teenage boy could love another. He loved Shannon. As he kissed her, he eased her back onto his bed, coming down on top of her. His forearms on either side of her body, holding much of his weight off her._

_‘It won’t be bad,’ Shannon whispered as his hands skirted the hem of her shirt, slipping under. Her belly quivered at his touch. ‘It can’t be anything but good.’_

And it wasn’t bad. Dale thought to himself as he broke away from the long ago memory. There was some fumbling as they discarded clothing. His breath was swept away when he saw Shannon’s naked body for the first time. It was a miracle he didn’t come at that moment, ruining the night.

He remembered the hesitant touches, the whisper of kisses. They barely knew what they were doing, but the moment he slipped inside her, it all fell together. It felt like… home. And it was a feeling he’d never found again.

He wondered if that feeling had anything to do with it being their first time. But he shook that off. It was like that the first time and every time he and Shannon made love. Every woman he had been with since Shannon, the feeling eluded him. The completeness was never there, even though he looked.

Closing the yearbook and ending the memories in his head; he chalked up the feeling to first loves.

~***~  
Dale sighed as he pulled into Mooresville High School. The new sign out front screamed, “Welcome Back Class of 1992!” He parked in the lot adjacent to the school and sat back in his seat. It had been awhile since he was at the school, preferring not to think back on the times. From the looks of it, nothing had changed. Sure there was a new tree here or there, a new sign out front and the parking lot was bigger and newly paved, but staring at the school building itself, it was like he stepped back to another time.

Flashback

_He stepped back on the porch as Shannon swung the screen door open and stepped out. He smiled at her taking in the white summer dress, sandals and blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail._

_‘You look great.’ He leaned down kissing her softly on the lips. He pulled her into a hug, letting his body meld to hers. He breathed in her scent ‘I’ve missed you.’_

_‘I’ve missed you too, Dale,’ Shannon held onto Dale a little longer. Graduation had passed weeks ago. No longer having to worry about school, Dale took off racing as much as he could. He let it slip over the phone a few days ago, that he was thinking about moving to Myrtle Beach permanently. Her heart had broken, but she didn’t cry until the phone connection was severed._

_‘Shannon…’_

_‘Dale…’_

_They chuckled as they both spoke at once. Dale waved his hand in front of him, signaling her to go first._

_‘I was accepted into this really great internship program.’ Shannon spoke quickly. ‘It will give me a boost when I start school in August. They only accept the best of the best and I couldn’t believe they accepted me. I really wasn’t expecting it; I was surprised when I opened the letter the other day. I really thought it was going to be, ‘we regret to inform you,’ letter.’_

_Dale listened to Shannon speak as the lump in his throat fell to the pit of his stomach as she kept going on and on about the pros of the internship. She was definitely excited. Her eyes were lit up and sparkling, her hands moving fast; the smile never departed from her face, the grin so wide, he almost expected it hurt._

_It was then he realized they had come to an impasse. Shannon’s internship, college and eventual doctor hood was down the left and his racing week to week, hoping to impress someone, namely his father, so he could break into NASCAR was on the right. And those paths, no matter how far they continued on, and how big the curves, never crossed._

_‘I wanted to call you as soon as I got the letter, but I thought this would be better to share in person. Isn’t this great, Dale? There are times I still can’t believe it. I reread the letter just to make sure, half expecting it to say I didn’t make it. But it stills says, “Congratulations”. Ah,’ Shannon laughed and took a deep breath before turning her smile on him. ‘What were you going to say? I didn’t mean to keep going on. Do you want to leave now? You said we were going someplace?’_

_‘No, I…’ Dale took a deep breath, his heart breaking. He didn’t want to be the one to kill the smile on Shannon’s face, but it was the only thing he could do. He couldn’t ask her to move to Myrtle Beach with him. He couldn’t ask her to give up her dream of being a doctor for his dream of being a race car driver. The doctor and the race car driver, they didn’t coexist._

_‘What’s wrong Dale?’ Shannon asked, the smile on his lips fading as she watched the emotions on Dale’s face. She reached out, taking his hand and was surprised at how tight he gripped it in return. ‘Dale?’_

_‘I’m sorry, Shannon.’ Dale said, threading their fingers. He felt the ring he had given her for Valentine’s Day. It was nothing big, just a simple band with a small gem, the color of her birthstone, in the middle. It wasn’t much, but Shannon had cried buckets when she opened it, you’d think he dropped four figures on it. She had promised to never take it off. Nothing that had happened in his life up to that moment prepared him for the pain in his heart. ‘I don’t know how to say this.’_

_‘Just say it, Dale.’ Shannon tried to brace herself against Dale’s words. She knew whatever came out of his mouth was going to change her life, if not break her heart._

_‘I think…’ The tickets burned a whole in the back pocket of his jeans. Her favorite singer was singing in Charlotte tomorrow and he was able to get tickets, piling his money together. He knew they weren’t the best seats but he knew Shannon would still love them – and him- anyway. ‘I think we should see other people,’ he said quickly, looking down at the ground._

_Nothing she did prepared herself for the words. They tore through her chest and ripped her heart. The small, broken pieces shattered on the ground before her. A lump rose in her throat and she blinked rapidly trying to hold back the tears. She failed tremendously._

_‘Wh…what?’ She whispered her voice breaking. ‘Did you me… meet someone else?’_

_It crossed his mind to lie to her and say that he had, but as he watched the tears roll down her cheeks he couldn’t bare to put anymore pain on her. He shook his head, ‘No. There is no one else.’_

_‘Then why?’_

_‘I’m sorry Shannon,’ Dale rose to his feet. Watching Shannon cry was twisting his insides tight. He couldn’t take her tears or the pain in her eyes as she stared at him. ‘I…I think it’s for the best. You concentrate on school and me on racing. We’re going different ways. It’s easier to end it now.’_

_‘But…’_

_‘I’m sorry Shan,’ Dale leaned down and kissed her lips one more time. Before he allowed himself to sink back into her, he straightened. He looked at her once more, trying to commit her to memory before he turned and strode away. Pieces of his heart laid a trail from the porch steps to his car. He climbed in the car and sped away, the image of Shannon’s heartbreaking, tearful gaze sticking with him._

Fifteen years ago and that image could still be drummed up in his head. After fifteen years, it was still able to twist his heart tight enough to almost bring tears to his eyes. Kelley had been right, letting Shannon go had been the stupidest thing he’d done.

‘Just leave,’ his mind screamed at him and his hand moved to put the truck back in gear to do just that.

“And you won’t go because you’re afraid those feelings will arise when you see her and she’ll be unavailable.” Kelley’s words echoed through his brain, freezing movement in his hand.

Fuck yes he was afraid to see Shannon. If she was even at the reunion. He was afraid of walking into the gymnasium, spotting Shannon and those high school feelings coming back. He was afraid of seeing her again, speaking to her. Afraid she’d introduce him to her husband and show him pictures of their kids. Because what did he have to show her? A couple trophies and a few zeros in his bank account?

He jerked to shove the truck in gear when the song on the radio caught his attention.

‘And I don’t know no love; Like the first love; when I think about the best times; She’s the one I think of; Deep inside me; All though the taste is bittersweet; I see her smiling even through she’s gone; and it keeps me turning home.’

“God,” he shut his eyes and leaned back against his seat. Shannon’s smiling face appeared. The way she looked at the homecoming dance standing on the edge of the crowd. He saw the bright smile she gave him when he walked into homeroom the Monday after the dance and the way she shyly took his hand as they walked to first period together. 

The images bombarded him, one after the other. The first date after the dance, the kiss good night. The day walking through the park when he first told her he loved her. How she looked in the passenger seat of his car as he drove on back roads with no destination in mind, singing any and every song that came on the radio and when the mood hit, drumming on the dashboard. He saw the winter dance and the pale blue dress that looked almost like ice. He saw the smile as she opened up his Christmas present and the excitement when he opened his. The moment in his room, where they both made love for the first time in their young adult life. And the tears in her eyes when she opened the ring on Valentine’s Day.

He remembered her smiling face when she told him about being accepted to college and the tears she tried to hide when she realized things were changing in their lives. Every memory morphed in his head until he got to the very last memory of her; crying on the front porch steps of her parent’s house as he broke her heart and broke up with her.

“Damnit,” he grabbed his keys and turned them violently. The music cut off and the smooth vibrations caused by the running motor ceased. The silence was deafening. There was no way he wanted that to be the last memory he had of her. He had to go inside. He had to see if she was there. And if she was indeed present, to see if she was happy. He needed to see her smiling, even if it was on the arm of another man. He needed that memory to replace the one he had of her in tears.

It felt like his shoes were weighed down with concrete. It was hard to raise each foot that would bring him closer to the doors. When he reached the doors, he opened one and slowly walked through. He felt the punch in the gut as he looked around at the decorations. The memories of that fated Homecoming dance slammed into him.

The gym looked as it did back in 1991. The crepe paper was hung the same, the food tables the same, right down to the bowl of punch and food platters. Balloons placed in the same spots. Even the music was the same. He felt the stares on him as he the door shut softly behind him, latching with barely a click.

“Dale! Welcome,” he glanced to his right to see a brunette smiling at him. The face was familiar but he couldn’t place it.

“Christy Wheeler – er Marks now.” She handed over a name tag, with his name scrawled across it. She gave a slight chuckle. “Not that you’ll need it.”

“Thanks,” Dale said to the woman who had been the Class President. “Marks, you didn’t happen to marry…”

“Brian,” he didn’t think Christy’s smile could get any wider, but it did when she spoke of her husband; a classmate of theirs. “We’ve been married almost ten years now. Have two little girls, well they aren’t so little anymore.”

“Congratulations,” he hoped he said that sincerely. His gaze had left Christy’s and was scanning the crowd. He’d almost given up seeing Shannon there when he caught sight of a blonde standing at the snack table. His heart stopped when he saw her reach out to the cheese cubes and saw the tiny sparkle on her hand.

‘Right hand,’ his mind told him as his feet moved on their own accord toward the table. All too soon he was standing behind her, his stomach lodged in his throat. He was afraid he’d be unable to speak. Drumming up the courage he reached up and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Shannon?”

He held his breath as the woman stilled before turning around. It whooshed out when he saw the same smile that haunted him in the truck. He was dazzled. His heart thumped against his chest so loud he was surprised she didn’t hear.

“Dale,” Shannon said softly. Her own throat constricted as memories of her own rushed through. She had been hoping he’d show. “You came.”

“Yes.” He was unable to take his eyes off the beauty in front of him. The years had definitely been kind to her as he knew they would be. “But it’s no fun when you don’t have a date.”

The smile widened on Shannon’s face as she remembered the words from the Homecoming Dance. Her hand reached up, fingering a button on his dress shirt. The memories taking her back in time.

Dale covered her hand with his, bringing her back to the here and now. He felt the ring and glanced down seeing the blue birth stone twinkle back at him. He froze momentarily before raising his eyes back to Shannon’s green pools. “Dance with me?”

As he led her out on the dance floor, his hand griped her left. ‘No ring,’ he said to himself and he pulled her securely into his arms. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him, the feeling that had eluded him all these years, returned.

He was home.

_Never twice the same way does it start  
And sure enough she stole my heart  
On the old gym floor, spinnin’ round and round one night_

_And though we both tried hard to wait  
We sure did love the taste  
Of the sweet love being made and prayin’ I got it right  
Graduation came and went  
Along with all the time we spent_

_And I don’t know no love  
Like the first love  
When I think about the best times  
She’s the one I think of  
Deep inside me  
All though the taste is bittersweet  
I see her smiling even though she’s gone  
And it keeps me turning home_


End file.
